A Progress Report

Description: Thousands of qualified applicants are turned away from nursing schools each year because of an acute shortage of faculty and other teaching resources. One reason is that too few nurses choose to pursue academic teaching careers, which are characterized by intense workloads and meager salaries, coupled with a lack of prestige in the faculty role, and the loss of patient contact and practice ties. Adding to the overall problem, minority racial and ethnic groups, as well as men, are underrepresented among nursing faculty.

The program aims to strengthen the academic productivity and overall excellence of nursing schools by providing mentorship, leadership training, and salary and research support to young faculty.

Key Results

Through the summer of 2014, the program has admitted 78 scholars and is currently in the process of admitting the seventh and final cohort; 15 scholars were admitted each in 2008 and 2009, and 12 each in 2010-2014. The scholars represent 55 U.S. colleges and universities.

In mid-2014, the national program office provided the following update, noting that scholars have excelled in research and leadership productivity. Below are some of the highlights:

º Twenty four scholars/alumni have been inducted into the American Academy of Nursing, the most prestigious honor in nursing, usually reserved for nurse scholars much later in their careers.

º Thirty two scholars/alumni have been promoted to associate professor in their schools of nursing.

º One of our alumni has been selected as a member of the program's national advisory committee.

º Scholars/alumni have published over 800 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

º Twenty six scholars have received academic honors or awards

º Scholars and alumni currently have research funding exceeding $35 million